Before Nature’s Heritage was a premium cannabis brand, it was a lesson learned the hard way—through a failed California venture that sparked something more enduring.
MariMed, the company behind Nature’s Heritage, has roots that stretch back to 2008, when co-founders Bob Fireman and Jon Levine entered the cannabis industry through an investment in a California operation. The venture ultimately folded, but it left a lasting impression.
“They learned a ton about the industry and became passionate about the benefits of the plant in improving people’s lives,” said Tami Kirlis, Brand Director at Nature’s Heritage.
That early experience laid the groundwork for the brand’s more measured East Coast rollout. What began as an advisory firm for startup cannabis businesses evolved into a multi-state operation with a focus on cultivation, packaging, and retail. The company now operates across Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, and Delaware.
Genetics as Philosophy
At the center of Nature’s Heritage’s ethos is a commitment to plant genetics—both preserving legacy strains and introducing new cultivars with distinctive profiles. That direction came largely from COO Tim Shaw, a longtime grower whose experience informs the company’s strain selection and cultivation processes.
“Our mission is to curate an archive of genetics from around the world, cultivating strains that capture the finest elements of the plant,” Kirlis explained. “We care for our plants like Mother Nature would.”
The team also emphasizes a longer-than-average dry and cure process—an often-overlooked step that can make or break terpene expression and cannabinoid stability. “The importance of the dry and cure process cannot be understated,” said Kirlis. “It’s one of the longest in the industry, and the results are a potent blend of terpene and cannabinoid-rich flower.”
Nature’s Heritage has built a reputation around less common strains and robust phenotypes. “Lamb’s Bread is a big one,” Kirlis said. “She’s a landrace strain native to Jamaica and notoriously hard to find.” Known for its earthy, pungent aroma and historical connection to Bob Marley, Lamb’s Bread occupies a unique niche in the market.
More contemporary favorites include Double Krush and Chocolatina, strains with strong potency and unconventional flavor notes. The brand’s recent release, Strawberry Jelly, leans into a sweeter profile, offering what Kirlis described as “an energetic, happy high.”
Between Purism and Innovation
While infused products continue to gain traction across the market, Nature’s Heritage maintains a focus on flower-driven experiences. “We’re purists and believe our customers want to experience a strain’s natural aromas and flavors,” said Kirlis. Still, the company has developed a double-infused preroll—featuring flower, live resin, and bubble hash—for those seeking a more layered experience.
Another area of experimentation is variety packs, a format still relatively uncommon in the cannabis space. “Consumers love when they can get multiple strains and experiences in one pack like our Fresh Flight Variety Pack,” Kirlis noted.
Balancing Growth With Quality Control
As with many cultivation-focused brands, scale introduces risk—particularly when it comes to maintaining consistency. “Cannabis is a plant and it’s hard to control Mother Nature,” said Kirlis. “We let the plants be the boss.”
To manage variability, Nature’s Heritage conducts monthly internal product reviews via a task force made up of cultivation staff, lab technicians, and brand ambassadors. That feedback loop, along with customer and buyer insights, helps inform iterative improvements in everything from grow methods to packaging.
Rethinking the Metrics of Quality
Kirlis pointed to the industry’s preoccupation with total active cannabinoids (TAC) as a trend the brand is looking to push back on. “We’re hoping to overcome that with more education around terpenes and their effects on experience,” she said. “It’s not just about getting blasted.”
Instead, the team is working to shift the conversation toward experience-based consumption: choosing strains not for the numbers on the label, but for the effects and sensory characteristics they offer.
Later this year, Nature’s Heritage plans to launch a product line that reflects a broader trend in wellness: the fusion of cannabis and functional mushrooms. Called MycroDose, the product includes four formulations—Spark, Chill, G’Night, and Remedy—each designed to support specific moods or outcomes.
“There’s a mushroom movement gaining momentum,” Kirlis said, referencing brands like Host Defense and LemmeLive. “We’re excited to join that conversation.”
